Each year at the turn of the lunar calendar and on other special days， the lion dancers put on a lively performance， gamboling about to the beat of pounding drums and crashing cymbals. Its a dazzling spectacle meant to draw in luck and prosperity， and as such， graces celebrations like the Lunar New Year， birthdays， or weddings where Chinese diasporas have landed around the world. Here are several things you might not know about the ancient tradition.

每年農(nóng)歷年初和一些特定的日子，舞獅人就會有一場生動的表演，隨著鑼鼓的節(jié)奏舞起獅來。這項(xiàng)活動既壯觀又炫目，寓意著吉祥與興旺。因此，全球各地的華人會在春節(jié)、生日、婚禮等喜慶活動中用舞獅表演助興。有關(guān)這項(xiàng)古老的傳統(tǒng)，以下幾個方面的知識你可能并不了解。

The prevalence of lions in Chinese culture stems from Central Asia and Persia.

中國文化中對獅子的推崇源于中亞與波斯。

Lions never historically inhabited China， so how did the felines come to be such a common cultural fixture？ Their origin in Chinese culture begins in the Han Dynasty （202 BC—220 AD）， when the Silk Road was established to connect China with Europe. Along the way， emissaries from Persian （now Iran） and Central Asian states would gift lions to the Chinese emperor. The popularity of this imperial beast then percolated from the high courts onto the masses. Lions also play an important role in Buddhist mythology， which began spreading throughout China in the late Han Dynasty.

從歷史上看，中國沒有獅子。那么，這種貓科動物為什么會成為中國文化中如此常見的符號呢？中國的獅子文化源于漢朝（公元前202—公元220），那時朝廷為連接中國與歐洲開辟了絲綢之路。當(dāng)時，絲路沿線的波斯（今伊朗）和中亞國家派遣使者，將獅子作為禮物進(jìn)獻(xiàn)給中國皇帝。中國人對這一象征著威嚴(yán)皇權(quán)的野獸十分喜愛，這種喜愛從宮廷蔓延到了民間。漢朝晚期佛教逐漸傳入中國后，獅子在佛教典故中也扮演著重要角色。

The lion dance is over 1，000 years old.

舞獅活動已有1000多年的歷史。

After lions were introduced to the popular imagination， the animal may have been incorporated into the existing traditions of animal pantomimes. Historical records from the Three Kingdoms Period （220—280） describe people dressing in lion costumes for Buddhist festivities， and later in the Tang Dynasty （618—907）， the lion dance became a well-documented court festivity.

獅子這一形象走進(jìn)大眾的視野后，就可能被納入了當(dāng)時流行的動物啞劇傳統(tǒng)。三國時期（220—280）的史料記載了人們身著獅子樣式的服裝參加佛教慶典活動。后來在唐朝時期（618—907），舞獅成為一項(xiàng)有大量文獻(xiàn)記載的宮廷慶典活動。

There are different styles of lion dance that vary regionally.

舞獅的風(fēng)格有地域之分。

Although rooted in China， the lion dance has spread across East Asia， with each region adding their own local variations. An array of styles abounds in Japan and South Korea. In Indonesia， the lion dancers wear huge fur coats with hefty heads.

Within China， the lion dance can be broadly divided in Northern and Southern styles. The Northern lion is red and yellow with a shaggy fringe， and is usually performed with a male and female and sometimes little cubs. The Southern lion， originating from Guangdong Province， is the most common type seen on the international stage. They usually come with a fur trim and an array of flamboyant colors， and are further subdivided into the futsan and hoksan styles. The former is meant to look more aggressive and the latter more cat-like and playful.

舞獅植根于中國，但傳遍了東亞，并且每個地區(qū)都將本土特色融入其中。日本與韓國的舞獅風(fēng)格豐富多樣。在印度尼西亞，表演者往往穿著毛茸茸的肥大道具服裝，戴著碩大的獅子頭套。

在中國，舞獅大致可分為南獅、北獅兩種舞法。北獅的造型通常為紅黃兩色，帶有濃密的鬃毛，并且往往是公獅與母獅共同表演，有時會帶著小獅子。南獅起源于廣東省，是世界舞臺上最常見的舞獅種類。南獅的造型往往有皮毛鑲邊，色彩豐富艷麗，可以細(xì)分為佛山獅和鶴山獅。前者更好斗，后者則更像貓，更愛嬉戲。

Chinese Malaysians invented the extreme sport of high pole lion dance.

馬來西亞華人創(chuàng)造了高樁舞獅這項(xiàng)極限運(yùn)動。

The lion dance has historically been performed on the ground or in small obstacle courses， with lions leaping up onto chairs， balance beams， or upturned vases in a spectacle of balance and athleticism. This show of acrobatics was turned up a notch when Chinese Malaysians began performing routines on high wooden stilts. In the early 1990s， this became a standardized arena of metal poles ranging from 4 to 8 feet in height， and the high pole lion dance as a competitive sport was born.

Performances are scored out of 10. To impress the judges， teams must choreograph a 7-to-10-minute long routine where they leap between poles while performing acrobatic stunts. The most prestigious international competition has been held every other year in Malaysias Resorts World Genting since 1994.

舞獅歷來都是在平地上，或是在設(shè)有障礙的小型場地中進(jìn)行。獅子一般是跳上椅子、平衡木或者倒立的花瓶，以展示自己出色的平衡和運(yùn)動能力。而當(dāng)馬來西亞華人開始在高木樁上進(jìn)行常規(guī)的舞獅表演時，這項(xiàng)雜技對技巧的要求又上升了一個等級。在20世紀(jì)90年代早期，這項(xiàng)活動的表演模式演變?yōu)樵?到8英尺（122—244厘米）高的金屬樁上進(jìn)行，于是高樁舞獅變成了一項(xiàng)競技運(yùn)動。

裁判以1至10分來評判選手的表現(xiàn)。為了獲得裁判的肯定，舞獅團(tuán)隊(duì)需要設(shè)計一套7到10分鐘的動作，在高樁之間跳躍的同時表演高難度雜技。自1994年起，馬來西亞的云頂名勝世界，每兩年都會舉辦一場這一領(lǐng)域中聲望最高的國際性賽事。

The lion dance is getting a modern makeover.

舞獅正在煥發(fā)新的面貌。

Chinese Malaysians arent the only performers revamping an ancient tradition. Teams in Singapore and Hong Kong， China have incorporated LED lights， EDM （Electronic Dance Music）， and hip hop into their routines. Kwoks Kung Fu and Dragon Lion Dance Team in Hong Kong once put on a show with hip hop dancers clad in Tron-like suits bopping alongside flashy Chinese lions synchronized to EDM.

馬來西亞華人并不是唯一對這項(xiàng)古老傳統(tǒng)進(jìn)行創(chuàng)新的群體。新加坡和中國香港的舞獅團(tuán)隊(duì)都在舞獅常規(guī)套路中加入了LED燈光、電子舞曲以及嘻哈文化的元素。香港的郭氏功夫金龍醒獅團(tuán)曾舉辦了一場別開生面的表演，嘻哈舞者身著類似于《電子世界爭霸戰(zhàn)》中的服飾，伴隨著電子舞曲，與炫目的中國獅子共同起舞。

Word Bank

spectacle /'spekt?kl/ n. 精彩的表演；壯觀的場面

inhabit /?n'h?b?t/ v. 居住在；棲居于

incorporate /?n'k??p?re?t/ v. 包含；吸收

We have incorporated all the latest safety features into the design.

array /?'re?/ n. 大堆；大群；大量

There is a vast array of bottles of different shapes and sizes over there.

aggressive /?'ɡres?v/ adj. 好斗的；侵略的

leap /li?p/ v. 跳；跳躍

A dolphin leapt out of the water.